Best speedsters: the top 9 roofless wonders for intensity and style
For some, these cars are the ultimate in no-compromise motoring, but would you splash out a fortune on one?
Speedsters are a genuinely unique proposition in the motoring world, traditionally offering high performance with no roof and often no windscreen. Their advocates argue that there’s nothing to touch them when it comes to a visceral driving experience. Sceptics, though, say they’re illogical vanity purchases that demand too many compromises, often at obscene costs. Make your own mind up as we cast our eye over some of the most famous examples of the Speedster breed, in no particular order.
Pininfarina B95 Speedster
Created to mark 95 years of the Pininfarina design house, the Pininfarina B95 Speedster was unveiled in 2023. The car borrowed its underpinnings from the Pininfarina Battista hypercar and that gave rise to some phenomenal performance figures. The all-electric machine has 1,873bhp and can generate maximum torque of 2,340Nm via its quad-motor EV powertrain. It’ll get from a standstill to 60mph in less than two seconds and reach 186mph, by which time even the most snug-fitting bobble hat would be long gone. Only 10 were planned to be built and the price tag was expected to be well north of the £2m needed to get yourself a Battista.
Mazda MX-5 Speedster
Everyone loves the MX-5, but Mazda managed to make it arguably even more desirable in 2015 when it unveiled a gorgeous Speedster version at the SEMA aftermarket and tuning show in Las Vegas, US. Stripped of its windscreen
and roof, the Speedster was around 100kg lighter than the production MX-5, which made us dizzy with excitement contemplating how it might drive.
The Japanese company went a step further in 2016 with the Speedster Evolution, which shed a further 45kg, and was perhaps even prettier in White Ether. Unfortunately, the suits at Mazda – probably sensibly – decreed that the cars had limited commercial appeal, and they remained concepts.
Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2
If you want the world to know that you have the chops – and the funds – for a Ferrari, then you’re sure to relish the attention that one without a roof or a windscreen brings. The single-seat Monza SP1 and two-seat SP2 were revealed in 2018 as limited editions inspired by the firm’s fifties open-top racers.
Despite that nod to the past, the models were very much cutting-edge, with a Kevlar and carbon-fibre body, and a 798bhp interpretation of the 812 Superfast’s 6.5-litre V12 engine. Only loyal Ferrari customers were invited to shell out the £1.5million required to secure one, and among the introverts who bit were Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gordon Ramsay.
Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss
Like the Elva, this glorious Mercedes from 2009 had the hand of McLaren behind it and harked back to a race car from a bygone era. An homage to the 300 SLR in which legendary racer Stirling Moss won the 1955 Mille Miglia, the SLR commanded attention with its huge bonnet and butterfly doors.
Performance, too, was prodigious, with a 5.4-litre AMG V8 dispatching 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds on the way to a hair-raising 217mph. The fact that only 75 were made went some way to explaining the £700,000 price when new, but that now looks something of a bargain: asking prices upwards of £2million are common on the rare occasion one goes up for auction.
Renault Sport Spider
The Sport Spider was an extraordinary car, but perhaps most extraordinary of all was that it arrived on the scene in 1995 courtesy of Renault, a brand more associated with sensible offerings such as the Clio, Megane and Espace.
The car was developed by the company’s successful Renault Sport arm, which decided doors that rise upwards were a good idea, but power steering, heating and a windscreen were not (on continental versions at least; all UK cars had a screen). Fitted with a 148bhp 2.0-litre engine from the Clio Williams, the result was a no-compromise sports car that sold unsurprisingly slowly, but is still much loved by those who value the French firm’s determination to do things its own way.
McLaren Elva
Arguably no car of recent years better sums up the speedster’s blend of allure and absurdity. Developed in tribute to company founder Bruce McLaren’s open-topped sixties sports cars, the Elva was billed as its maker’s lightest road car ever, with lashings of power delivering a driving experience of exquisite purity.
The statistics – 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds – backed this up, but another key figure was the price: £1,425,000.
And equally significant were the production numbers, which gradually fell from 399 to 249 and then to 149, hinting that buyers weren’t quite as plentiful as first expected.
Vermot Veritas RS III
Hailing from Germany, this is one of the lesser-known models in our collection, although with its aggressive shark-like face, it’s a car you’re highly unlikely to forget if ever you do happen to see one.
The Vermot Veritas RS III appeared as a concept back in 2001, but it took until 2010 before 30 hand-assembled models were made available. With heavy use of carbon fibre, a ‘1+1’ seating layout – the passenger side could be covered by a body-coloured panel – and a V10 engine from a BMW M5, the Veritas RS III was truly spectacular. But despite the car’s obvious charms, the first 30 examples were the last 30, and little more was heard from Vermot.
Lamborghini Aventador J
The outrageous Aventador J predictably attracted plenty of attention at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. But even more amazing was the story behind it; the car was conceived and put together in only six weeks after Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann ordered his design team to come up with “something special” for the Swiss spectacular.
Despite sharing its name with the Aventador coupe, nearly all of the speedster’s panels were brand new, making the achievement all the more noteworthy. Sadly, the car was to remain a one-off, sold immediately to a collector for nearly £2million. And the J? That was a tribute to the Jota, the firm’s wild Miura racer of the seventies.
Aston Martin V12 Speedster
Aston's take on the speedster formula was this 691bhp V12-powered two-seater created by the Q customisation programme, and revealed in 2020. Only 88 were made, with prices starting at £765,000 – although the fifties-inspired livery above nudged things closer to £800,000.
Amusingly, the Aston made headlines earlier this year when a TikTok video showed one London owner using a collection of umbrellas to keep the seats dry during a rain shower. Such are the perils of owning a car with no roof…
Top 9 best Speedsters:
- Pininfarina B95 Speedster
- Mazda MX-5 Speedster
- Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2
- Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss
- Renault Sport Spider
- McLaren Elva
- Vermot Veritas RS III
- Lamborghini Aventador J
- Aston Martin V12 Speedster
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